You know it when you hear it. Your toes start tapping. Your head starts bobbing. And it doesn't even matter if the lyrics are wack; the beat has you hypnotized. From Justin Timberlake to Nelly, Ludacris to Britney Spears, to everything else on your FM dial: you know a Neptunes track when you hear one.  
 
The Neptunes are by far the hottest producers in hip hop, putting their stamp on the industry by making hot joints for nearly every major artist out right now. From every corner of pop and hip pop, the music industry's envelope has been pushed by the forward thinking of super producers Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo.  
 
With their recent release, "The Neptunes Present: Clones," the Neptunes showcase up-and-coming artists from their Star Trak label while getting help from some of the hottest names in hip hop, making for a killer compilation of fresh beats featuring the Neptunes' signature sound.  
 
Busta Rhymes starts the album off with the club banger "Light Your A$$ On Fire." Busta spits verse after verse about seriously lighting a girl's backside aflame over a hypnotic dance beat. N.O.R.E. also gets a similarly trance-like beat to rhyme over on "Put Em Up." With a catchy chorus, N.O.R.E. replicates his "Superthug" success from years ago.  
 
Pharrell himself appears on a number of tracks, including his own single, "Frontin" featuring Jay-Z. But the album is less focused on Pharrell or anyone else's vocals; the beats outshine most of the verbal performances on "Clones," with a few exceptions.  
 
Ludacris spits fluidly on "It Wasn't Us," a track featuring a broken hip hop beat reminicent of his early Neptunes-blessed track, "Southern Hospitality." The song is not only a standout in terms of the Neptunes' contribution; it is also one of the few on the album that have lyrics solid enough to accompany the amazing beat.  
 
Nas also comes through on "Popular Thug," with his vocals perfectly balancing those of his bride-to-be, Kelis. The lovebirds provide a notable chemistry on another song with lyrical matching to an above-average beat. Snoop Dogg also spits a classic ode to chronic over a smooth bell-laced beat on "It Blows My Mind."  
 
Other noteworthy performances include two cuts by The Clipse on "Blaze of Glory" and "Hot Damn," and an odd track by Dirt McGirt (formerly Old Dirty Bastard of Wu Tang Clan). New Star Trak artists Rosco P. Coldchain (not to be confused with Young Roscoe) and Fam Lay also put down lyrics and while none of the cuts are skippers, they aren't as solid as those done by the veterans (Snoop, Nas, Ludacris). However, Vanessa Marquez drops impressive vocals on "Good Girl," a cut with a great '80s or early '90s feel.  
 
Hip hop heads may wish to bypass the diversity on "Clones," via the three rock contributions found mid-album. Also slightly out of place, the Neptunes themselves, in the form of their experimental genre-breaking group N*E*R*D, add an odd track, "Loser." The song will be featured on the Madden 2004 video game.  
 
While the beats never fall short, some of the lyricism does. Nelly proves it's hard to ruin a Neptunes beat on his failed effort "If," a song that borrows it's chorus from a previous Nelly tune. Similarly, Rosco P. Coldchain misses the mark on "Hot," a song with a minimalist beat that could allow an emcee to truly display his skills. While The Clipse hold their own on the track, Rosco fails to impress.  
 
"Clones" would be ill if were released as a pure instrumental album, but the performances of a few of the most seasoned veterans in the game add greatly to the overall appeal of the Neptunes' skillful display of hit making.  
 
With "Clones," the Neptunes certainly secure their spot as one of the most influential and progressive collective minds in music. They provide a solid foundation of beats from start to finish on "Clones;" whether the lyrics hold up to the track is another story. One thing is for sure: as solid is as a Neptunes beat is, it's difficult for any artist to ruin their genius, despite the content of the lyrics.  
 
When it comes to a killer beat, the nNptunes got it on lock.  
 
The special edition release also includes a DVD with videos "Frontin," "Hot Damn" and "Rock N Roll" and interviews with the Neptunes. Unfortunately, the disc won't work on my computer's DVD player.  
